Hunter Donohoe remembers the advice vividly.
In his first season with the Red Deer Rebels, the defenceman never forgets what his dad used to tell him on the ice.
“When I was younger he’d always tell me to work on backwards crossovers. Now, I can understand why. He was always taking me to the rink and just having fun,” Donohoe recalled of his first unofficial skating lessons.
The 16-year-old is no longer coached by his dad, he said that stopped a short time after those early years. Through the beginning of his WHL career this season, advice has come from all corners of the team. He said the older guys and the coaching staff have told him to keep it simple, a lesson he’s trying to exercise everyday.
Advice in hockey has always been that way, it’s a community that contributes to raising up individuals so they can contribute to a collective. As Canada celebrates National Coaches Week, across the Rebels dressing room there is influence and mentors all around.
From veteran forward Austin Pratt who remembered with a laugh his dad taking shots at him as a goalie, to Jacob Herauf’s bantam coach being one of his greatest mentors, almost every hockey player has someone along the way who helped carve the path they’ve ended up on.
Take Rebels assistant coach Brett Anderson, in his first year with the team. Anderson still fondly recalls the day at RDC when he was asked to volunteer and how it’s lead him through a wild journey in hockey. Growing up in Central Alberta, in nearby Sedgewick, Anderson said the thought of coaching full-time never crossed his mind until he was finished at RDC.
“Al Ferchuck just recruited me to do some volunteer work. Next thing I know, I’m taking over a team and one thing lead to another. Just realizing that it was something that I could do as a career. Coming into school I didn’t realize that was something that existed,” he said.
Ferchuck coached hockey at RDC in the 70s and 80s and later became athletic director that brought legendary NHL coach Mike Babcock into the fold. Anderson said of all the things he learned in hockey, Ferchuck was the man who made the biggest impact.
Anderson was head coach at the Ontario Hockey Academy in Cornwall, Ont. last year before coming back to Red Deer, but also served as a coach in the junior and pro ranks in Europe. So many lessons, but he always remembers that coaching is as much about managing the person as the strategy of it all.
“just seeing the impact you could have on people’s lives and how involved you can get,” Anderson said.
“That coaching isn’t just X’s and O’s, it’s getting to know the people and I think that’s something that I’ve really prided myself on. There’s so many different dynamics and you have to wear 55 different hats.”
For coaches across all sports, Anderson had a simple piece of advice that he’s carried with him since that opening day at RDC.
“The biggest thing is find a mentor that can help. Just be a sponge. what I learned when I first started coaching is I thought I knew everything. I’ve been very fortunate to work with some great coaches,” he said.
“Brent (Sutter), Jeff (Truitt) and some of the guys overseas. Even the (Mike) Babcock’s of the world. Don’t pretend to know everything.”
Email sports info and tips to sports reporter Byron Hackett
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